MONTREAL - My first memory of Sana is hazy around the edges. I know it must have been winter, because it was hockey season, and I’d drawn the short stick, which meant I had to drive to get the food to bring back to everyone who was watching the game that night – so few Indian restaurants deliver, someone has to take care of takeout. I recall sitting opposite the cash, waiting for the rustling sound of my takeout bags, which was what everyone around me seemed to be doing, too. Given that there were many beers consumed over the course of the evening, I remember the food about as well as I remember the final score, but my recollections are positive on both counts. When I reviewed it in 2005 I know I was glad to have found it, even if not glowing over the food.

It was definitely time for a return trip to the top end of Park Extension, an area not quite as pedestrian-oriented as the heavily peopled Jean-Talon strip. The room itself doesn’t have a lot of draw, but it does exude a worn cheeriness, with a black and white linoleum floor, a burgundy and gold colour scheme and a giant television screen (on this night showing an unlikely co-star pairing of Mr. Bean and Willem Dafoe – how did I miss that when it came out in wide release?) that’s glanced at by the steady stream of customers, as many of whom come in for takeout orders as they do to sit and eat.

Now in its 11th year, this popular restaurant is owned by Shiraz Ahmad, who offers regional dishes from India and Bangladesh, along with specialties of his native Pakistan, such as haleem, paya and nihari. This last is somewhat of a national dish, and it’s easy to see why, as it’s a rich and tender preparation you can imagine bubbling overnight on the stovetop. The pleasantly soupy stew contained chunks of beef in a distinctively thick sauce that had a layered effect, releasing a lot of licorice-family flavours, like fennel and star anise, compounded by a trace of sweet spice and chili oil.

Another specialty is chicken charga, a whole bird done in a spiced rub, which, for $10, comes with fries. While that may not be how they serve it in Lahore, it makes for a fun alternative to Montreal’s typical BBQ bird in a box, be it rotisserie St. Hubert or Laurier (sans or avec Gordon Ramsay). I loved the punchy marinade on the poultry, it was just too bad that the meat was so dry (I’ve had a better version at another halal place in the neighbourhood, but would give it another chance here).

Although it goes against the grain – you bring vegetarians to Southern Indian restaurants, and your meat-loving friends to Pakistani places – all the vegetarian dishes at Sana hit the mark. There were rounds of karela, the bitter gourd that’s shaped like a cucumber with a nubbly texture and truly bitter flavour, cooked into a dry curry with onion, ginger, garlic and tomato. Okra got similar treatment, its natural plumpness and faint chewiness softening every bite. The sag was different, too; listed as containing mustard leaves and broccoli in addition to the usual spinach, it was richer and fluffier than some green glop – but still green glop, with chunks of potato beneath it.

A less-common vegetarian dish, this one Punjabi, was pakora karry, also written on the menu as pokorakari (and in various other ways in various other places, I’m sure). It broke down as pakora, deep-fried chickpea flour fritters, doused in a plentiful mild, yellowish curry sauce that slid over the spongy texture – basically, dumplings in gravy.

While it’s a menu staple, the dhal is quite distinctive at Sana. It merits a double mention, since both types we tried were standouts for their bright colour, pungent seasoning and noticeably toothy texture, less cooked down so that the grains remained separate. The first was dhal mash of what I was told were lentils but think were mung beans, pumped with ginger and garlic. The second had an equally flashy flavour, topped with fresh cilantro and wilted fenugreek leaves. Despite their resemblance to yellow split peas, these were actually smaller, a more colourful type of chickpeas.

Dessert cost us exactly one dollar – and if I may channel Andy Rooney for just a moment, what can you even get for a dollar these days? The kulfi, the ice cream on a stick, is absolutely worth the loonie. We got the last two Popsicles, which tasted like milky, unripe banana. Also on the sweet tip, Sana’s mango lassi is very good – and they do other yogourt- and milk-based frappés, including apple and banana shakes. When I ordered my drink, I was informed, “It’s going to take a little time; they’ve gone for prayers.” Clearly, the kitchen takes its rituals seriously: it’s worth noting that there’s no booze here, and that they’re talking about adding a halal Chinese menu in the coming weeks.

Between all the bargain restaurants and the increasing number of friends moving up to the neighbourhood, it’s not as though I needed more reasons to visit Park Ex. But Sana is a new long-forgotten favourite – an address to add to the rotation, even if we won’t be doing many hockey hauls this season.

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